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Thursday, August 07, 2014

Total Cost for Gloucester City Middle School $87,543,500 million plus | cnbnews.net

Editor’s Note: Two weeks ago we started to look for the total cost of the proposed Gloucester City Elementary Middle School (EMS). We wanted to know what the construction fees were along with a breakdown on what has been spent on this project since it was first proposed in 2002. We asked for help from the local school administration but we couldn’t get a straight answer to our question (s). You would think that number would be readily available. Searching the internet led us to the New Jersey School Development Authority (SDA)website. There we found a wealth of information. But, we couldn’t find all the costs. Missing, for example, was the total the federal government spent to clean the area of contaminants. Likewise we wanted to know how much in local tax ratables have been lost. Seventy homes and two businesses were demolished, under eminent domain, to make room for the new school. Over the last 10 years Public Works employees have spent hundreds of hours cutting the grass and weeds on this property. What did that cost taxpayers? Below is the first part of the two part series about our search for information. We didn’t get answers to some of our questions but we did come up with a number for the cost of the school. That number could be even higher, but we stayed at a lower number to be safe. The story contains links to the sources of our information. If there are any mistakes in the figures we used we ask officials to bring it to our attention so a correction can be made. The second part of the series will appear on Friday’s page.

By William E. Cleary

GLOUCESTER CITY NJ—The New Jersey School Development Authority (SDA) at its July 2 Board meeting approved an expenditure of $64 million for the construction of the new middle school, Market Street between Fifth and Sixth Streets. According to Edye Maier, SDA Public Information Manager, that figure includes $42 million for the design-build contract, along with the costs for items such as land acquisition, relocation, demolition and remediation.

Maier was asked if there would be any future construction costs?

"The $64 million is the total cost of everything for that project, she said. "We do not expect any extra costs at this time, however there is always a chance that something could happen during construction. We will be posting the progress of the construction on the SDA website. And if there are any additional expenditures they will be posted." (See SDA website search for Gloucester City Middle School)

The school is being built on a SUPERFUND SITE, 18,000 cubic yards of contaminants were removed from the property

IMAGE SOURCE https://www.facebook.com/HealthySchoolsNow/photos/

Not included in the project costs is the $20 million that was spent by the federal government and other agencies to clear the ground of contaminants nearly 10 years ago. The school is being built on a Superfund site. The site, which was contaminated when spent radioactive ore produced by the defunct Welsbach Factory was dumped there, will include a sports field for the new middle school. Other toxins, such as chromium and benzene from three other former industrial sites, also polluted parts of the future school property, according to state records.

Also missing from the $64 million project amount is the monies lost in tax ratables as a result of the 70 homes and businesses being demolished. Those properties were removed under eminent domain. In September 2010 that figure was $3,543,500. No doubt that number has increased since four more years has passed. We had asked the City Tax Office for an updated figure but as of this posting we still haven’t received an answer.

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Editor’s Note: Two weeks ago we started to look for the total cost of the proposed Gloucester City Elementary Middle School (EMS). We wanted to know what the construction fees were along with a breakdown on what has been spent on this project since it was first proposed in 2002. We asked for help from the local school administration but we couldn’t get a straight answer to our question (s). You would think that number would be readily available. Searching the internet led us to the New Jersey School Development Authority (SDA)website. There we found a wealth of information. But, we couldn’t find all the costs. Missing, for example, was the total the federal government spent to clean the area of contaminants. Likewise we wanted to know how much in local tax ratables have been lost. Seventy homes and two businesses were demolished, under eminent domain, to make room for the new school. Over the last 10 years Public Works employees have spent hundreds of hours cutting the grass and weeds on this property. What did that cost taxpayers? Below is the first part of the two part series about our search for information. We didn’t get answers to some of our questions but we did come up with a number for the cost of the school. That number could be even higher, but we stayed at a lower number to be safe. The story contains links to the sources of our information. If there are any mistakes in the figures we used we ask officials to bring it to our attention so a correction can be made. The second part of the series will appear on Friday’s page.

By William E. Cleary

GLOUCESTER CITY NJ—The New Jersey School Development Authority (SDA) at its July 2 Board meeting approved an expenditure of $64 million for the construction of the new middle school, Market Street between Fifth and Sixth Streets. According to Edye Maier, SDA Public Information Manager, that figure includes $42 million for the design-build contract, along with the costs for items such as land acquisition, relocation, demolition and remediation.

November 2018

CNBNewsnet is a community news website covering the South Jersey/Philadelphia region with a focus on Gloucester City, Audubon, Brooklawn, Bellmawr, Mount Ephraim, and Westville. The site is updated continuously throughout the week with original stories, photos and calendar listings as well as curated articles of interest from around the web. Every day, we connect our readers to their home towns and to the communities around them by providing:
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Thousands attended this year's Irish Parade. It was cold, brisk sunny day. Special guests included NJ Governor Phil Murphy and the Deputy Consul General, Shane Cahill. In the line of march were string bands, bagpipes, Irish dancers, Irish music, community groups and floats. The parade began at Martin’s Lake at the intersection of Baynes Avenue and Johnson Boulevard and proceeded down Monmouth Street to King Street before ending at Proprietor’s Park.
Before the parade there was an opening Ceremony Mass at St. Mary’s, 426 Monmouth Street .
Photo credits: Bruce Darrow, Gus Danks, Frank Kelly, Connie Lynn Woods

The remnants of the greatest day ever remain in the streets of Philadelphia, or, if you were there, in your clothes, up your nostrils, under your fingernails, like grains of sand after a day at the beach. They will never go away. And who would want them to, anyway? The Eagles’ Parade Of Champions from Thursday resonates like no day in the history of the City of Philadelphia ...(photo credit) Amanda Stevenson Lupke
http://www.gloucestercitynews.net/clearysnotebook/2018/02/a-parade-to-remember-forever-.html

by CNBNews Staff
BROOKLAWN, NJ (CNBNewsnet)—The Alice Costello Elementary School (ACES) was one of this year’s winners of the Philadelphia Phillies Phanatic About Reading program. The Phillie Phanatic is the star of children's books and as a result has turned his love of reading into the exciting Phanatic About Reading program presented by Comcast.
Studies have shown that children who are encouraged to read items of their own choosing tend to spend more time reading independently, and as a result, their literacy scores improve. Founded in 2004, the program encourages students to read for a minimum of 15 minutes a day to improve their literacy skills. Each year teachers in the South Jersey and Philadelphia area are encouraged to enroll their classrooms and join the nearly 40,000 students already reading with the Phanatic! (source Phillie Phanatic website)
http://www.gloucestercitynews.net/clearysnotebook/2017/05/phillies-phanatic-visits-alice-costello-school.html#more

Our first Memories album was so well received I decided to start a second one. If you have any photos you like to submit to add to any of the albums on our site send them to CNBNewsnet@gmail.com. Please include a brief description and the approximate year the picture was taken.

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The album includes some random shots of some of the many vehicles on display at the Philadelphia Auto Show held at the Convention Center.
The 2016 Philadelphia Auto Show, produced and owned by the Automobile Dealers Association of Greater Philadelphia, rolls into the Pennsylvania Convention Center Jan. 30 to Feb. 7. This year's event will feature 700 vehicles from more than 40 worldwide manufacturers. Highlights include an array of concept, classic, luxury, pre-production and exotic models. Ticket prices range from $7 to $14. For more information, visit phillyautoshow.com.
PHOTO CREDIT CNBNews Photo Journalist Amanda Stevenson Lupke http://www.amandastevensonphoto.com

GLOUCESTER CITY, NJ (CNBNewsnet)--The Gloucester City Middle School, 500 unit block of Market Street, Gloucester City opened on Tuesday, September 5, 2017. The $87 million school will house an estimated 685 students from grade 4 up to grade 8. The new 122,000 square-foot school includes 27 general classrooms, eight special education classrooms, three science classrooms, a cafetorium with stage, gymnasium, media center, computer lab and administrative offices. (https://www.njsda.gov/)
Photos by Miguel Perez

Friends and family of Gloucester City native Cpl. Marc Ryan gathered at the Gloucester City v. Penns Grove game Saturday to retire Ryan's jersey after he was killed in Iraq nearly three years ago. (SEPTEMBER 22, 2007)
photos by Bruce Darrow

SPEAK OUT!

photos by B. Darrow
Girls
Catholic jumped out to a 12-1 lead in the first quarter and was led by Caitlyn Sweeney and Julie Genther, who had 16 and 10 points respectively. Sweeney also hit the only two 3s of the game as the Rams improved to 9-6 overall. Marisa Cooper dropped 17 in the loss, but it was not enough as Gloucester falls to 12-2 on the season.

By Lois Lane, gossip columnist for ClearysNoteBook
The Gloucester City Breakfast Club had a huge turnout for their December 29 meeting held at the Dining Car Depot, Monmouth Street at the Railroad. Some thirty-nine men were in attendance.
Hank Miller won the prize for coming the longest distance.Breakfast_club_december_07_003 The former Gloucester resident, who writes the column When East Meets West for ClearysNoteBook, flew in from his home in Kitakyushu City, Japan just for the breakfast.
Winning second place was former Gloucesterite Jack Bowe, who traveled from St. Louis Missouri to see his friends. Third was Bill Wibby Yeager who drove from Dover, Delaware. Fourth and Fifth Place goes to Butch Shaffer (Cape May) and Ron Raube (Mays Landing). The winners each received a second cup of coffee at no charge plus all the water they could drink.
El Presidente Chas Pitzo announced that Bill Cleary has resigned as treasurer and Jack Heiser volunteered to take his place. Pitzo gave a treasury report stating there was $400 in the account.
Speaking of Cleary he was the winner of the 50-50 this month. Since he was chosen to pick the stub out of the bucket some members thought he shouldn't be eligible to Breakfast_club_december_07_006 win. The executive board held an emergency meeting and ruled he could keep the prize ($19.02) as long as he picked up the tab for everyone's breakfast. Needless to say when it came time to pay the check Cleary was no where to be found.
Besides those already mentioned others in attendance included: Sam Chew, Frank Grandizio, Tom and Bud Wrigley, John Lang, Joe Boulden, Bob Bevan, Frank Cipolone, Bob Sliwa, Jack Persichetti, Ron Middleton, Joe DiGiacomo, Earl Kaighn, Walt Hall, Stu Rechard, Tom Moody.
Also, Gary Marcucci, John Hindsley, Joe Raube, Rick Gonzales, Jim and Harry Blymer, Mike Bowe, Joe Miller, Chalie Tourtual, Harry Walker, Tom ChooChoo Murphy, and Bob Bevan.
The next meeting, Saturday, January 26 at 9 AM. To become a member you must be a male, be able to eat breakfast and enjoy laughing. Also you need to know the answer to this question……where was the Charles Street Stadium located? Just in case you need a hint it was somewhere in Gloucester City.

An estimated 150 members attended the annual event held October 15 at the Gloucester Heights Fire Hall, Nicholson Road. The photo is Ray Ford who began the affair so many years ago. Alumni from Gloucester Catholic HS and Gloucester City HS are shown in the album.
photos by Frank Weichmann